Guardian 'literary highlights of 2020' Sunday Times 'books to watch
out for in 2020' New Statesman 'books to read in 2020' Evening
Standard 'thirteen titles to look for in 2020' As divisive as he is
beguiling, as misunderstood as he is scrutinised, Boris Johnson is
a singular figure. Many of us think we know his story well. His
ruthless ambition was evident from his insistence, as a
three-year-old, that he would one day be 'world king'. Eton and
Oxford prepared him well for a frantic career straddling the
dog-eat-dog worlds of journalism and politics. His transformation
from bumbling stooge on Have I Got New for You to a triumphant
Mayor of London was overshadowed only by his colourful personal
life, brimming with affairs, scandals and transgressions. His
ascent to Number 10 in the wake of the acrimonious, era-defining
Brexit referendum would prove to be only the first act in an epic
drama that saw him play both hero and villain - from proroguing
parliament to his controversial leadership of the Covid-19 Crisis,
all against the backdrop of divorce, marriage, the birth of his
sixth child, revolts among Tory MPs and the countdown to Brexit.
Yet despite his celebrity, decades of media scrutiny, the endless
vitriol of his critics and the enduring adoration of his
supporters, there is so much we've never understood about Boris -
until now. Previous biographies have either dismissed him as a
lazy, deceitful opportunist or been transfixed by his charm, wit
and drive. Both approaches fall short, and so many questions about
Boris remain unanswered. What seismic events of his childhood have
evaded scrutiny? How has he so consistently defied the odds, proved
his critics wrong, and got away with increasingly reckless gambles?
What were his real achievements and failures as Mayor of London,
what was really going on during his time as Foreign Secretary, and
why did he write two articles for the Telegraph, one in favour of
Leave and the other for Remain? How have the women in his life
exerted more influence than any of us realise, and why is his story
ultimately one overshadowed by family secrets? Based on a wealth of
new interviews and research, this is the deepest, most rounded and
most comprehensive portrait to date of the man, the mind, the
politics, the affairs, the family - of a loner, a lover, a leader.
Revelatory, unsettling and compulsively readable, it is the most
timely and indispensable book yet from Britain's leading
investigative biographer.
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